Wednesday, April 20, 2011

The Age Gap

As soon as people find out you have kids, the next question is typically "How old?"

I love the looks I get when they hear, "11, almost 9 and 11 months." Sometimes it is followed by an "Oh my." or "That's quite a gap."

I always respond with the fact that she was in deed a happy surprise. So many people have asked me what that is like, if it is hard to go back. My answer is simply yes and no. It is truly this bizarre phenomenon. If you are on the fence about whether to hit the reset button yourself, I hope you find this post helpful.

The Cons

Fighting off the Ella pounds is harder than the Alex & Anna pounds were. I am 10 years older and my metabolism holds a grudge.

My 3rd pregnancy was more painful than the first two. My Dr.'s swore it was not my age but the fact that it was #3, but they could have been just trying to make me feel better.

Sleep, oh yeah, I heard about that once

I had gotten used to just grabbing my purse and running errands as need be, now I have to consider feeding and napping schedules

Diaper bags are not as exciting as they were the first time

I forgot how much I hate high chairs (If you have ever cleaned one after a feeding - I know, right?)

Another mini-Pete (I swear I have the weakest genetics)

Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy (these may be pros for some, but not for me. I was so close to being done)

The Pros

Another beautiful baby

Hand me downs

Watching the 2 older ones experience and enjoy their little sister

Another round of the cuddling phase: I forgot how much I missed that

Looking forward to another personality

Evening walks pushing a stroller

Having 2 amazing helpers to keep an eye on her when I need to do something

Baby giggles in the house

The best part of all:

I am able to enjoy the mothering experience this time in a way I couldn't the first two times. I think, the first time you are crazy between the newness, changes, worry, you name it. The second time for me, with 2 little ones I was just trying to know which end was up and poor Anna's infancy is a blur. I am able to notice and savor each new development Ella has. I think this is a glimpse of what grandparenting is like.

First of all, I'm your newest follower from Bloggy Moms. Love the blog!

Love the post too! I have an only child that is 5.5. I doubt we ever have another one, but obviously if we did we'd have quite the age gap. I've gone over the pros and cons myself many times.

I'm also 10 years older than my sister. Growing up (and I'm ashamed to admit this) we really didn't have much of a relationship. I was wrapped in my own world, of course and she basically got in the way. lol. Now that she's 17 and I'm almost 27, we're finally starting to have that close relationship and I'm very thankful for her. I'm able to be a mom to her in some ways, a sister to her in some ways, and just a friend in others. Now, I'm thankful that we have the age gap. I like being able to "teach her" things about life while still being young enough to relate to her.

So thanks for the post. I can relate to it on several levels, as you can see.

So funny, I am about 10 years older than my sister too and you practically described our relationship. Though I laugh because I can't help myself when I offer her unsolicited big sister advice. -love ya Beth.

About Me

I am a typical Gen X working mom trying to be the best mother, wife, co-worker, daughter, sister, and friend that I can be. Saying no is a challenge so I take on more than I should. Making it all look easy is my quest. Sometimes I succeed and often I don't. I guess that's what makes me typical. I call this journey TryFection.